Community Engagement Portfolio

My name is Amanda Mackenzie. I am a first year Sport Management student at Brock University. I am enrolled in the Foundations of Community Engagement class. I took this class to be more involved with the community. This class has taught me more than any other, and I have not only learned about myself, but I've learned about others as well.

[amandamackenzie15]

Reflection 1

SOCI 2F60 Foundations for Community Engagement

Reflection 2

Niagara Read: Rash Decisions

Description

            I went to the Niagara reads: Rash Decisions program, which was at the Centennial Public Library in the Mills room. The speaker was a woman named Rashmi Biswas who was talking about her book and how she spent her last year writing her book called Rash Decisions: Accept Where you are, and Then …Be Amazing. We were informed that the real title went by the lines accept your past, accept where you are and then be amazing.  The longer title had stuck with me. She told us about her past, how she has come to write this book, and about her family and their traditions that helped her complete this novel.  She showed us what it was liked to be an author and the struggle to try to get a publishing company for her book. In the ended she had published her own book with the help of her husband. She had become amazing from it. When the speech was over Rashmi met with everyone in the audience who attended the speech.

            When she had talked about accepting her past, accepting where she was and how she was amazing she had told us her steps to make it all happen.  She told us four things that had held her back because she had not accepted them at some point. Two examples were that she would never be a ballerina and that she would never get her Ph. D.  We were informed of these to show she had moved from her past and that we too can overcome our past and lives in the present.

Examination

            When Rashmi was telling us about accepting the past, where you are and be amazing it made me think about what I want in life and how “imaginative thought” is involved in this planning process (Scheekloth & Shibley, p. 108).  Schneekloth and Shibley told us this is a critical thinking where you look at the big picture of every situation and analyze it.  It made me think of what I want in life and how my past won’t ruin my future for me. I will not allow my past to define how I am going to be in the future and it will not affect my goals in life. Rashmi was telling us how she had looked at the big picture and made her dream come true. When critically thinking like this you have to look at your past, your present and your future.  The planning procedure with this type of thinking will make you think outside of the box and realize all of the ways for you to achieve your goal and become amazing. What Rashmi taught defines what imaginative thinking really is. The title of her book is a perfect explanation and how your end result should not only be amazing but make yourself amazing as well.

Articulation of Learning

            I have learned that I now know what I want in my life and understand I know how to get there and will be successful.  I was taught the steps that can help me achieve my goal and how every single goal you set is achievable. Rashmi was also encouraging when she came to talk to us after and she reassured me that everything was going to be okay. She had accomplished what she wanted and trusted her gut instincts to follow that path. She did work hard and in the end got exactly what she wanted. This did teach me that good things come to people who work hard to get what they want.

            I learned this when Rashmi told us what had happened and how she had become successful. A great moment that I know I wont forget was when she told us she had let go of her past and accepted where she was today and is amazing all of the time. I noted that I could too forget my past and work with what is happening right now. Like the reading I formed, executed and interpreted my situations (Scheekloth & Shibley, p. 108).  I knew I had to live for today because today is for me. She told us to pay attention to the present day and live for today, not tomorrow. This will cause you to live everyday as if it is your first and not worry as much as you would if you lived like you would if it was your last.  She believes that you should enjoy everyday and be amazing.

            This learning matters because this had brought confidence to me, knowing that I can start today for my goals of my future. It is significant because I never was sure if that path I was following was the right path for me, but when Rashmi put everything into perspective that living for today was for me and no one else, I knew I was doing what I wanted. She said that is all that matters. I realized that this is my life and I am doing all the right things for me, which is the big picture. I am here to live for myself and make myself amazing.

                        In light of this learning I now know I wont give up on myself and I will continue to do what I want and achieve my goals. I will be doing this all for myself. I am in the right field and I know what I want to will enjoy myself while I achieve all my goals. I want to be a PR for the curling association and this course has helped my have an open mind to everything and enjoy the community engagement and prove that this is for me.  I will also have an open mind for setting goals for myself and believing they are realistic. I know anything is possible and I can achieve my dream job and sports goals. Reflection Schneekloth, L., & Shibley, R. (2005). Imagine Niagara. Journal of Canadian Studies,39(3), 105-120.

[amandamackenzie15]

Reflection 2

SOCI 2F60 Foundations for Community Engagement

Reflection 3

Conversation Café: Happiness

Description

            I had caught the 116 Glenridge bus to the downtown terminal, I was not too sure which part of St. Paul’s street the Mohtay Café was on. It had taken me about 15 minutes to walk there when it only should have taken 2 minutes due to my bad judgement. Once I saw the name on the door I walked in to a large dimmed room that smelt like coffee. When I entered I noticed people were doing homework and reading books with colourful cups beside them. I walked to the back of the room where there were people sitting there in a circle on couches and chairs. There was a variety of people from all different ages. The topic was how do you define, and find happiness? We had a moderator named Kate and she told us that we did not have the answer but we all have input. Michael was our leader and he told us about his research in this subject. We were told how they studied happiness with self reports, because everyone’s happiness is defined a different way. The conversation continued the whole time, me included, about our experiences with happiness. One thing that was said was that you cannot have the sweet without the sour. This conversation continues for about two hours. Also, we were told how for society we always say that we are okay even if we know that there is a problem. Everyone was given an equal opportunities to talk.

Examination

            Learning about how people perceive happiness and how as a “society”, we ignore people when we know something is wrong. This is related to social analysis. We tend to build up walls and doubt people when they tell us that they are fine. Social analysis goes deeper than what everything looks like. Social analysis means “raising questions about society and seeking answers” (Swift, Davies, Clarke, & Czerney, p.117) Not to mention, it includes critical thinking, which is what my mind did during the two hour conversation.  When I went into the conversation Café I thought happiness was success. When I was being questioned I had a connection to a time I was successful and happy. It was when I had won provincials for my competitive team. However, when I really thought about it I was not happy that I had won, but when I looked up into the crowd and saw my parents jumping up and down was when I felt truly happy. This thought had come from critical questions that lead to the awareness of unsuspected connections of my happiness (Swift, Davies, Clarke, & Czerney, p.118). So when we raise the questions for social analysis the main reason is to find the truth in the situation. (Swift, Davies, Clarke, & Czerney, p.118) When I analyzed the situation, I then realized my true happiness.

Articulation of Learning

            I have realized that I am a happy person. I may not have a perfect life but I am doing what I want. I also learned that happiness is not only success, but when I am happy a major component of it is when I see others happy. When I won provincials and saw my parents so proud of what I accomplished, I too just was able to celebrate that moment. It would not have felt the same without them and I still get chills when I think about it. The whole situation is how I define happiness.             I learned this when someone asked why success made me happy, I analyzed the situations and figured out it would not have been the same if I was not able to share my success with others. When I am able to make other people happy, that’s when my true happiness comes out. Another moment for this was when my friend told me that even though he lives across the country and he is still able to still make me smile makes him feel happy. All these feelings were brought up when the question was directed at me.

            This learning matters because it made me re-evaluate what happiness meant. I also thought success was the key to living a happy life. I now think that my thought were shallow because I only wanted to go farther in my sporting career. Realizing this means nothing if I do not have anyone to share the accomplishments with. My family means more to me than I realize and moments like this remind me how much I need them in my life.

            In light of this learning I will still try to be successful but realize that success will not define my way of life or my happiness. I will continue to keep my family and close friends to me because they are the real reason that I am happy. To always have someone there, means more than success in a job or sport, which I have come to realize. I still do believe I am a happy person but now I know where my real happiness lies.

Reference

Swift, J., J. M. Davies, R. G. Clarke, and M. S. J. Czerney. (2004).             Getting Started on Social Analysis in Canada. In W. K. Carroll (Ed.), Critical Strategies for Social Research (pp. 116-24). Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press.

[amandamackenzie15]

Reflection 3

SOCI 2F60 Foundations of Community Engagement

Reflection 4

Trick or Eat

Description 

On October 31st at 4 pm I went down to the Schmon Tower to participate in the Trick or Eat community food drive, which is the largest youth-led food drive. As I approached the sign-in table they assigned me to the Glenbarr and West Hampton road route. My group consisted of me and four other people; three of them being girls and the fourth being a boy. We all caught the 16 Brock-Glenridge bus, which was filled with students, who too were going on routes to collect non-perishable food items. The bus took ten minutes to arrive at our stop and then it was a ten minute walk down Woodside drive to our street. No one answered the door to the first three houses we knocked on. Eventually a couple of people had answered their doors, however they did not donate because they had already donated to other charities. When we were halfway done the street we knocked on someone's door and they had gone inside to look for food. Meanwhile, a door had opened from a previous house and was telling us she had missed us at the door but had a bag of cans to give to us. We moved to the next house, which was owned by an elderly couple and they filled our box for us. On the second street almost every house had given us a can of food, and we had accomplished our goal of filling our box at least twice.

Examination

Seeing people go look for nonperishable foods and have bags or cans ready for us to donate to others really connected one of our readings about food charity.  This article was written by Dr. Valerie Tarasuk, and she did a research about how “It shows just how ready, willing, and able people are to take initiative and act in response to concerns about unmet food needs in their midst” (Tarasuk, p. 2).  Having someone come to the door after we left and call us over because they had prepared a bag full of cans shows that people are willing to go out of their way to donate and help others who do not meet their food requirements. When we had gone to other peoples doors that did not know we were collecting cans, they went out of their way to go look through their house to give us nonperishable food items. Since Trick or Eat is Canada’s largest food youth-led food drive it proves that there are programs that help people with food that are not just food banks. The reading said that  “Less then one-third of the operations we inventoried were affiliated with a food bank” means that these charitable events that do not receive enough food that is necessary (Tarasuk, p. 1). Donations are needed to keep people fed. After doing this food drive I realized that I am lucky enough to have enough to eat and lucky enough to help other people get enough to eat. 

Articulation of Learning  

I have realized that I am a very fortunate person. I have enough food and do not have to worry about if I will have enough to make it through the week. I learned this when I saw how willing people were when they gave away their food. They did it all out of the goodness of their heart. It made me realize that since I have been financially inclined my whole life that I should donate more and give more time to help these people. A few cans or hours a week will not affect me but can help many other people! It is obvious we all need to donate more.

I learned this when people would answer the door for you and then go to get the nonperishable food items. One house did not expect us at all but they ended up filling the whole box we had, the box was so full that we had to call to get a pick up because we could not longer carry it without items falling out. This connected with the reading also because they were selfless and went and found food that they could’ve eaten but instead they gave it to the less fortunate. Realizing people are like this made me want to be more involved in events such as this. 

This learning matters because it shows that people are selfless and willing to give up their time, money and objects to help people who are less fortunate then they are.  It also made me realize how lucky I am, I have always gotten what I want and when I want it. It shows me that there are people who go without and struggle to get by. The reading had also taught me that there are large amounts of people who do not get a sufficient amount of food and I never realized that these numbers were so high and that food banks are not the main component to getting people their food, donations are. There was a large group of students who had signed up to participate in this event and that there were this many people who are putting their time into this event. 

In light of this learning I will now realize how lucky I am when I see people who are not as fortunate as me and do not have the same opportunity to get as much as I do. Now knowing how much hunger effects St. Catharines and its surrounding areas I will try to put more time into it and donate more. I have more than enough for myself so I should give more to the community and not have them suffer as much. 

Reference 

Tarasuk, V. (2009). Food Charity: When Doing our Best is not Enough. Hungry &                      Poverty, 1(2), 1-3. 

[amandamackenzie15]

Reflection 4

SOCI 2F60 Foundations of Community Engagement

Reflection 5

Community Care and Housing Centre Tour

Description 

I signed up for the Community Care and Housing Centre Tour, it took place on Friday November 16th at 9 in the morning. I caught the 8:30 116 Brock-Glenridge bus to the terminal then walked down Carlisle Street, King Street, and then finally North Street till I was at their address, 12 North Street. I was the first to arrive, I was led into the presentation room and I sat there till about 9:05 till other people arrived.  We had the privilege of two speaker Our first speaker was a lady who had helped with people finding a place to live on their limited budget. She told us a story about an elderly couple who went in because they could not afford where they were living now and she had to tell them there was a minimum four year wait because there is not enough housing in the region for all the people.  Our second speaker told us about how people go there because they cannot afford enough food or clothing. They run on a points system and can only get a little amount of food, if it is one person you get 20 points, 2 people is 25 points, and it continues to go up 5 points for each person in your family until a maximum of 40. When they go to the clothing store they only get a certain amount of clothes. When the people go to community care to sign up to receive help they are only allowed to come back in two months,  meaning they can only receive help 6 times out of the year.  Community Care has a mission statement, which is “We compassionately provide services and assistance to individuals and families that help bridge and meet their basic needs as they continue their journey to self-sufficiency”. We then walked around the building and got to see how everything was handed out to the people.

Examination

Throughout the whole presentation I had felt like crying. I had been given such a lucky life to never have to worry about not having a home above my head or to have to worry if I would not be getting food that night. I felt like I needed to accept these people more because I never had thought of all the reasons as to why they had to go to a place like community care and use their resources. This presentation made me realize we cannot judge people because things happen when you lease expect it. Swanson wrote an article about stopping people from ‘poor bashing”. One quote used before the article even started was “I though that giving was supposed to be a pleasure. Why does it get turned around? Why are we made to feel humiliated because we’re receiving we’re supposed to be grateful. We’re not supposed to be arrogant, by why does the giver get to be arrogant? “ Which is said by a woman who uses charities (Swanson, p. 131).  During the presentation I felt that this was a charity that did respect the poor because she said that they don’t advertise people coming earlier than the two month limit, but it they come to the door they do not turn them down. Swanson said that good charities are ones that do not bash the poor but rather respect them and understand that they need it (Swanson, p. 144). This is what this specific charity does.

Articulation of Learning  

            I have learned that you cannot judge a book by its cover, this may be obvious but even though I have heard this saying many times I still do it. I believe that it is because of the society I live in, and how I have grown up as a kid always getting what I want and when I want it. I never had stepped back and realized that there are people who are less fortunate who need this and they do not choose this lifestyle. It is a stigmatism that people who are being charitable are better than those who receive it and this is a form of poor bashing (Swanson, p. 136). I was taught that things happen and in 6 months you can be living comfortably to not having anything. When situations like this happened I always wondered why people never just had sold their houses, vehicles or cottages, but in reality you cannot just do that in a short period of time.

                        I had learned all of this when the lady was telling us about all the different people that go to community care. She has had experiences where people had living a stable and good life, and then everything came crashing down on them. When people say they are embarrassed it does not make sense people do not choose this lifestyle and it is forced upon them. Donor have the power to help people out and not choose who “deserves” it, they all deserve help (Swanson, p. 136).

                        This learning matters because I need to be more accepting and stop judging people. To give reasons as to why I am this way is not a proper excuse.  I have been lucky to have a financially stable household but others are not and I should be giving my time to them and donating. We are living in a society where we ted to ignore the people who are ‘below us’ and I believe that this needs to change. Poor bashing is a concept that needs to stop.

            In light of this learning I can see myself making sure I donate more, I had brought a few cans to give to community care and they had really appreciated it. To me it was ten dollars, which is something I can afford to give at least twice a month. I am involved in a charity that is based on stopping bullying and had always tried to push it because I am part of the leaders, but I now know that these are just as important, if not more.

Reference

Swanson, J. (2011). Substituting Charity for Justice Poor Bashing: The Politics of Exclusion.Toronto: Between the Lines, 130-150.

[amandamackenzie15]

Reflection 5

Soci 2F60 Foundations for Community Engagement Reflection 5 City of St. Catharines Integrated Community Sustainability Committee Meeting

 Description

On January 31st at 4:30 pm I went downtown by taking the 116 bus to the downtown terminal. From there I walked to St. Catharines City Hall, which is located on Church Street. While I was there, I was required to sit in and listen to a committee meeting. This week’s subject was about integrating community and its sustainability. When I first arrived there, we were introduced to everyone and then were brought down a couple floors to look at their new gallery of recently taken pictures that show cultural diversity in the St. Catharines and Niagara regions. We all walked back upstairs and started the meeting. A woman named Rebecca was the first one to talk and she was the cultural planning supervisor. She showed us a power point to show us; this presentation was about culture and sustainability. It went into detail about heritage and the cultural assets that go along with it. A large factor was that culture changes. A lady named Erin gave the next presentation and she told the group about the house and homelessness action plan for the Niagara region. Lastly, a speaker named Aaron talked about bringing a speaker named Charles Eisenstein to talk about the love and support of a community and how it affects everyone. Then there was a group discussion, which quickly ended and the meeting was over. Following this, I walked back to the bus terminal and took the 116 back home.

  Examination

By attending this meeting I learned that the community comes together from all different cultures. A reading by Jane Jacobs, called Downtown is for People, claims that there are reasons why people want to go into the city and stay or linger. Culture is a big factor to help with this. In general, she states that the city will only be sustainable if they have different branches of culture to help with it. Jane says that “this notion of order is irreconcilably opposed to the way in which a downtown actually works; what makes it lively is the way so many different kinds of activity tend to support each other” (Jacobs, 1958, p. 130). She states that we think that the city is divided, however everything feeds off of each other so that it is successful. The city of St. Catharines is a culture, but this ‘culture’ is made up of many smaller cultures. Having this creates sustainability in the community, which is what the group was examining. The different cultures make a bigger culture and this is how the sustainability is made.

  Articulation of Learning

 I have learned that culture does, in fact, have a big impact on society. Not only does your own culture affect you, knowing and understanding others does as well. The main idea of Jane Jacobs’ reading was about how everything works as a whole. There are benefits of this such as “less crime and encourages economic vitality” (Jacobs, 1958, p. 126) The sustainability aspect within St. Catharines is in place to create a community feel and its own culture in order to help other peoples lives. This makes St. Catharines an enjoyable place to be and allow for people to be able to participate in events in and around St. Catharines. When looking at the photo gallery it showed all the different activities that the region had to offer.

 I learned this when our first speaker, Rebecca, was talking and she brought up that it is important to have a community that is there to support and help each other. When she talked about how culture changes lives and many other aspects of people’s lives, like social health, it made the connection of the cultural as whole. This helps create the community and all the positive aspects that are with it (Jacobs, 1958, p. 126). Having a sustainable community will help create a culture that is warming and does not create distance between people; it will make it true that ‘downtown is for people’.

This learning matters because it taught me how culture does affect lives. I never really noticed this when I has gone to some different parades and outdoor fairs in my hometown community that it was all culture. Now when I look back I can realize that it is many different cultures and it brings together the people of the city. I personally wish that there were more people who had watched this meeting because it was very informative and I am now able to spread the word as well because I understand what is happening and why all of these different activities exist. They are not only there to inform people about the different cultures, but they are there to bring everyone together as well.

 In light of this learning, whenever I go to the different festivals and parades I feel like I can enjoy them more because I understand them. I had liked them before, but when you realize why something is happening you seem to appreciate it more. Now that I have this knowledge I feel like it is part of my job to spread the word and inform other people because they are missing out on opportunities that do affect our community and bring everyone together. I have a new perspective on culture and plan on showing and telling other people about it.

 Reference Jacobs, Jane. (2009). Downtown is for People. In Eugenie L. Birch (Ed.), The Urban and Regional Planning Reader (pp. 124-131). London and New York: Routledge.

[amandamackenzie15]

Reflection 6

SOCI 2F60 Foundations of Community Engagement Reflection 6 Positive Space Workshop

  Description

 On Monday, February 25th I walked to Decew Residence Room 208 at 2pm. This workshop was for the LGBTQ, which stands for Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Two-Spirited Queer Questioning. When I got there, there was a definitions match to see if we knew what certain words meant. Examples of the words were gay, lesbian, bisexual and homophobia. We were then introduced to our two leaders named Marla and Brandon. They then went to talk to us about the words we just read and matched. After everyone understood the true meaning of the words we split into two groups. No one seemed unconfortable. Each group was given statements that were commonly heard - an example was “homosexuality only exists in western society”. These questions started conversations between the larger group, which consisted of nine people. We then did a privilege checklist, which started a large conversation about one of the questions provided. The question was “When my partner is seriously ill, I know I will be admitted to the intensive-care unit to visit her/him without question”. We discussed how it was unfair for people to be questioned or if they lie and state they are their brother/sister so they do not have to go through the questioning. Lastly we split into different groups and were provided with scenarios that could happen to people in the LGBTQ community. These scenarios created a large amount of discussion. As everyone was leaving they gave us pamphlets of information to help us understand more.

  Examination

By attending this workshop, I learned that it does feel good to help others. One way to help others is to be educated and this workshop helped educate me on the LGBTQ community and how I would be able to inform and help others as well. A reading written by Robert Coles, called The Call of Service: Satisfactions, where Robert follows a man named Dion Diamond who went and did public service for families instead of attending school relates to the workshop. This relates to the workshop because I felt good about myself knowing that I had educated myself and understood how to get others to understand as well. A quote that really relates is when Robert asked Dion why he does this and why he helps people, Dion responded with  “The satisfaction, man” (Coles, 2001, p. 343). He further went on to explain it by saying “I’m meeting some really fine people. I’m listening to them tell me a lot about their lives. I’m hearing them stop and think about what they’re willing to do to change this world here in Louisiana” (Coles, 2001, p. 343-4). He later explains that someone to that continues to help has done this because they have a sense of accomplishment (Coles, 2001, p.352). The overall aim of the workshop was to help us and we must now continue to help others. The workshop related to the reading because now I can help others and am ‘satisfied’ like Dion. It is true that there is a sense of  accomplishment being able to help and stand up for someone.

  Articulation of Learning

I have learned that it pays off to be educated and learn about things we are not so sure about. Understanding gives you the knowledge to help others. When you help others, it creates an overall feeling of satisfaction, which motivates you to come back and help more. When Robert was asked why he came to help the children, he said “… because I have a sense of accomplishment, and I’ve enjoyed being with friends, and I remember the stories I’ve heard, and the jokes” (Coles, 2001, p. 352). This means that not only do you benefit, but also everyone involved in the learning and helping.

I learned this when the workshop was happening, being able to hear other people’s experiences and reactions to situations made me think of what I would  do in the situation. I was able to put myself into other peoples’ shoes and learn from it. This made me realize that I too can help others who are not as knowledgeable as me. This is done for moral purpose because you do this for peace. Knowing about the LGBTQ community helps people understand it more, and taking these little steps can really make a difference. As the reading states “...what they are doing is a moral effort and that what they get from their actions is a kind of moral satisfaction or peace…” (Coles, 2001, p. 345).

This learning matters because it informs not only the people who do volunteer work, but also the people who are affected by it. It teaches the people who want to learn and gives them the opportunity to help. “Dion kept telling me what he was trying to do; he kept describing for me the various individuals he was getting to know – the lives he was affecting, even his own life had already been deeply affected”. This is the “pay it forward” method in which you have been helped, and this motivates you to help others in the community.

In light of this learning I take the initiative to make others aware of the LGBTQ community and their ‘personal space’ questions. This will benefit the community and others so they know about it and can also inform others to help them out. This will be beneficial for everyone.

  Reference

Coles, Robert. (2001). The call of service. In J. S. Ott (Ed.), The Nature of nonprofit Sector (pp. 343-354). Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.

[amandamackenzie15]

Reflection 7

SOCI 2F60 Foundations of Community Engagement Reflection Our Community Food Store: Downtown Food Co-op Launch Event

  Description

 On Wednesday March 6th I took the 116 Bus to the downtown terminal. I walked down to St. Paul’s Street and took a right until I was at the Mahtay Café. We were to be there for 7 pm and I had just arrived a couple minutes before. When I first entered the café there were people who welcomed us and informed us that we were at the Food Co-op Launch Event. They then gave me a pamphlet and a pledge form to fill out that included what I would be looking forward to seeing when the launch was completed. I had bought a coffee and then walked to a table so I could sit and wait until it started. The place was very full and there was not much room, so I took the opportunity while I could. While I waited, there were two people at the front playing a banjo and a guitar. The presentation started and our first real speaker was a man named Ken Murphy from Start Me Up Niagara and he brought along a fellow employee named Suzanne. The two of them talked about how using the trickle down effect will help people in the community build better lives. The next speaker, Mike , came on and talked about the co-op and how they are beneficial to everyone. After they were done speaking we were able to meet the people who would be involved in getting the food to the co-op and were able to participate in the vision wall. The vision wall was were individuals were able to place stickers on what they felt was most important. Examples of this included organic and local food. After this, the café died down and I returned home.

  Examination

 The first thing the first speaker said was “People who work together work better then those working alone”. Being a person who would choose to work by myself, rather than others, this  sentence really stood out to me. This caused me to realize that working with others is beneficial. But when I read an article by Michael Maniates, called Individualism: Plant a Tree, Buy a Bike, Save the World? it was evident proven that this was a fact. The point of the launch was to support the co-op, which is a company that is owned and controlled by its members, and driven by social and economic concerns and guided by the principles that they lay out. This means that they do not work on one single person, but everyone in the community helps contribute to the success. The article states that “Education is a critical ingredient in this view – smart consumers will make choices, it is thought, with the larger public in mind”( Maniates 2002, p. 45).  The purpose of the launch event was to inform people about the food co-op that they would like to start purchasing. This educates people who do not know about this and makes them realize that the food co-op is beneficial for the community. The article talks about Dr. Seuss’s story The Lorax  and how he was the one who speaks for the trees and helps protect them. However, since he is the only one there he fails and each tree is cut down. The Lorax is the creature of the trees who has a human who is cutting them all down for his own profit. The Lorax no like this and continually tells him to stop, which he doesn’t, and in the end realizes all the trees are cut and his mistake.He states “At the end of the day the Lorax’s only satisfaction is the privilege of being able to say ‘I told you so,’ but this – and the Once-ler’s slide into poverty- has to be small consolation” (Maniates 2002, p. 44).  When Maniates talks about this story of The Lorax  he is proving that it is beneficial to have more than just one person working towards a common goal because it will create a chain effect in which people will see others doing good deeds and realize that they too should be involved.

  Articulation of Learning

 I have learned that opportunities are more likely to present themselves when you work with others.  The article talks about environmental problems and how they can be fixed when we work together; economic and social issues can be fixed  in this manner as well. Being able to have people all work for the same result is beneficial because, being able to have this ‘team’ work together will be able to have a “collective ability to imagine and pursue a variety of productive responses” (Maniates 2002, p. 46).

I learned this learning when I realized that I am a person who would rather work by myself rather then a group. When I saw everyone there willing to help and participate, however, it made me rethink my judgment. Like The Lorax I am sometimes not able to accomplish my tasks because of my stubbornness. Also when I was at the launch seeing everyone build off of each other, I realized that when people are together they can accomplish more.

This learning matters because if we all put in a little effort it can go a long way.  Being able to make that change with the community is also very powerful. “It calls too for individuals to understand themselves as citizens in a participatory democracy first, working together to change broader policy and larger social institutions, and as consumers second” (Maniates 2002, p. 47).  This clearly shows that being able to be part of a larger concept benefits more people.

In light of this learning I have signed up to help the co-op and will shop at their store to help them. The co-op also has seven principles that they went by and it all involved the community as a whole and not each person. I believe that helping out for the greater good is more important than just yourself.

  Reference Maniates, Michael. (2002). Individualization: plant a tree, buy a bike, save the world? In T. Princen, M. Maniates & K. Conca (Eds.), Confronting Consumption (pp. 43-66). Cambridge and London: MIT Press.

[amandamackenzie15]

Reflection 8

SOCI 2F60 Foundations of Community Engagement Reflection 8 (Grace Week) Petition Against Violence

  Description As part of my activism OOCLO, I started and signed a petition. The petition I started was to end violence. This is a very broad subject, but violence is a growing situation and must receive more publicity to help fight against it. The petition was addressed to society as a whole because everyone should help contribute to end violence. There are many types of violence and they include physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, spiritual, cultural, verbal, and financial abuse. Violence also can defined as neglect, wheels of power, control and equality. This petition was created so that people know and understand all the different types of violence and many of the common groups that are affected by it. Top groups include women, gays, lesbians, blacks, and Asians. Being informed is one of the ways that can help prevent violence because when people understand something they can feel passionate about it and help fight against it. Violence affects many peoples lives and there are statistics that prove it takes over 1.5 million lives annually. This is a large number that needs to be reduced. After creating this petition I shared is on the internet through my Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr accounts.

  Examination

 After starting and sharing my petition I had found an article named Five Faces of Oppression, which was written by Iris Majon Young. This article focuses on one of the oppressions being violence. After writing my petition and reading the article, I realized all the different types of violence and how many lives it affects.  There are many groups affected by violence such as women, blacks, Asians, Arabs, gay men, lesbians, Jews, Puerto Ricans, Chicanos, and other Spanish-speaking Americans (Young, 2012, p. 334). The article also taught me that it is a symptom of social injustice (Young, 2012, p. 335). “What makes violence a phenomenon of social injustice, and not merely an individual moral wrong, is its systemic character, its existence as a social practice” (Young, 2012, p. 335).  One example that the author presents is to prove is that women have a reason to fear rape (Young, 2012, p. 335). I had always known that women were a larger group that is affected by violence, but that is it almost social acceptable for them to fear it instead of having everyone fight and help them.  They also state that violence is a social practice because people understand and know that rape happens and that they know it will happen again. “This rule-bound, social, and often premeditated character makes violence against groups a social practice.” (Young, 2012, p. 335).  This needs to completely end.

  Articulation of Learning

 I have learned that violence is a known occurrence that is continually growing. Not only did I learn this when I researched for starting the petition but also when I read the article. It informed me, not only how big of a deal violence is, but that it is a social practice. A quote used to show how violence is almost accepted is shown through this quote, “To the degree that institutions and social practices encourage, tolerate or enable the perpetration of violence against members of specific groups, those institutions and practices are unjust and should be reformed” (Young, 2012, p. 336). This shows that we must stop the stigma around violence and prove that it is a bigger deal thenpeople believe.

   I learned this learning when I read the article and did research for the petition. I had understood that violence happened but I never thought it affected as many lives as it does and how it is perceived in society. When reading the article I realized that I too think the same when is comes to violence being a social practice. The examples that gave like the women one stated above are “Regardless of what a black man has done to escape the oppressions of marginality or powerlessness, he lives knowing he is subject to attack or harassment” (Young, 2012, p. 336). We all know about the stigmas and ignore or barely do anything about it.

 This learning matter because violence is a social practice that does not help society at all and needs to be stopped. This is a social injustice and affects many people. Violence is not something that we can continue to ignore because it will continue and become more of a social practice that will be accepted. People know that violence happens and that it is going to continue to happen, but we continue to not help as much as we can. We need to raise awareness of not only violence but how it is seen in society’s eyes.

 In light of this learning I will continue to support my petition and have it shown throughout social media so others will continue to see if and hopefully sign it to help people become aware. I will also change how I view violence and know that it cannot remain as a social practice. Being able to educate others about this will benefit society because that can use the pay it forward model and educate others.  

 Reference

Young, Iris Marion. (2012) Fice faces of oppression. In James De Filippis & Susan Saegert (Eds.), The Community Development Reader (pp. 328-337). New York and London: Routledge.

[amandamackenzie15]

Meta-Reflection 1

 Published November 7th

To me this means that I am myself and I cannot change who I look like. Therefore I know who I am and I am able to change how I act. So when I am in an experience I know how to frame it because of how I am acting during that moment and how I feel after that moment. Critical analysis helps to understand re-framing it because I am then able to examine the experience in another view and see all the different ways there is to analyze it. 

  This posting was about Karen Fox’s article. It was talking about framing an experience. The response I had made was to say that I know how I frame my experiences. But it however did not come out like I had wanted it to. That is why I enjoyed it. If you just read the posting it does not make much sense, but to me I understand it and feel the same as I had felt when I wrote it. This is ironic for this question because I am saying that I know myself enough that I am able to frame experiences and reflect on them. It is important because it made me think of situations and the feelings that occurred during and after them. I wanted to write on this forum because since I am in this class being able to critically think and frame my experience has made me enjoy the class and appreciate who I am and what I am doing. Having these feelings is what prompted to me write on this forum even if no one would have commented or technically understood what I was trying to say. I still think I am able to read myself and the situation to analyze and reflect on what had happened.

[amandamackenzie15]

Meta-Reflection 2

Published on October 24th As said by everyone the commons is something that we share, and we share it for the better. It is such an important part of society, since it has so many advantages, that we must protect and keep out commons. The commons are sustainability for out future and we must keep everyone informed about it. Like Hilary stated about the youth of today's generation, we must keep this in the back of their mind and educate them as much as possible.  The commons is what we grew up with, so why not keep it there for future generations as well.

  This posting was about writing by Jay Walljasper and it pertained to the ‘commons’. The post is trying to say that commons are important and that we need to keep them around for the current and future generations. This was important because I live in a small city and we have a lot of land for the small amount of people. We have a lot of places that are considered ‘commons’. The natural resources are also what bring us together. An example would be the community week we have that is in one of the cities park and it’s just a festival for everyone to enjoy. I still believe that we should take care of these places because we were able to benefit from them. Keeping them for future generations will let them benefit as well and learn about them. The commons does not just include natural resources but also things like health care and the Internet. These are important because if we are able to adjust them and fix them then our future generations will learn from our mistakes and hopefully make them better. Being fortunate enough to enjoy ‘commons’ is something that I want to push to reserve because it is a large part of my life. I grew up in enjoying the commons and now I am able to appreciate them. I personally think that if they were not there for me I wouldn’t be the same as I am now and that makes me want other to enjoy it just as much as I did.

[amandamackenzie15]

Meta-Reflection 3

Published on November 15th This film made me realize how I do not buy enough local foods, most of my food does come from different parts of the world. When I was still at home my mother would always buy local fruits but I think that is as far as it went. I believe it does matter to buy local food because we have to support our fellow Canadians and also support our economy. If we keep the money we spend in out local economy it will keep us out of a bind! It is hard for me to try to buy local because I personally have a full meal plan and when I do purchase food to make I normally go to whatever is on sale. Realizing how much we import and how it seems to be growing every year has opened my eyes and made me realize that I should concentrate on where my food comes from and if I can’t keep it local at least try to keep it from Canada. 

 This posting was based on a video made by Hellmann’s and it is called Eat Real. Eat Local. This response was to watch the video and analyze it. The video talked about how Canada brings imports food more than buying local. This posting is saying how it is right to buy local foods not only for the communities benefit but also for your own personal benefit. They are healthier and they often taste better. To import less and keep our food inside Canada is important because if we continue to grow our imports then local food will become scarce. I wanted to write about this video because I have family who grows fruits and vegetables to sell to the community, so it hits home.  In light of this, the last few times I have gone to the grocery store I have looked to see if local options are available and if not I would check to see if the food had come from Canada. My opinion stands where id did when I had watched this video because I still do believe that people should be attempting to purchase local food, especially if it readily available to you. I know that St. Catharine’s has a farmers market so I will try to take the initiative to go there soon to get some fresh fruits and vegetables.

[amandamackenzie15]

Mid-Term Meta-Reflection

Being enrolled in the Community Engagement class, I have had some huge opportunities. Participating in a variety of different OOCLOs has reassured myself in what I want to do with myself and in my future. I have helped with events but doing the work and then I have just sat back in other events to just listen and reflect. All of the OOCLOs I have participated in have been beneficial. It would be impossible to pick which one has been the best and which one I have learned the most because I have had so many different situations. While in these OOCLOs you are continually learning when you are working and interacting with people. Sitting in a classroom and listening to the lecture is a way to learn and I do take back from our lectures, but I remember and learn more by going to all the events in St. Catharine’s.

            A personal difficulty that has been revealed through this class so far is my outgoingness. I feel comfortable talking to people whom I have never met and am able to go and introduce myself to a total stranger. Back home I never really went to talk to people I had never met because I always considered myself shy. I have also learned time management. Not having a class that is time designated to me has taught me how to schedule my days out and make room for my OOCLOs. I have grown from this because I have just moved out of home and always had my parents take care of me. They would schedule everything for me and make sure I was always on time, now I do everything for myself and consider myself very well with time management.

            To deepen my learning next semester I am going to have to continue to engage myself in this course and take OOCLOs that I am able to put more time into, this however will be difficult because I will be having more on my plate due to the job that I will be doing starting January. I still believe that I can put more effort into my OOCLOs and receive more. I also believe that I should write down my thoughts after every OOCLOs because then when I am writing my reflection I will be able spark up a feeling I had then and write better about it. This will be enjoyable because whenever I am done an OOCLO I always feel like I have accomplished something, which is fulfilling.

            I am excited for second semester and cannot wait to see what this class brings to me. I am willing to put in the extra effort to make each moment count.

[amandamackenzie15]

Meta-Reflection 4

Published February 27th 2013

 The quote that sets the tone of the article is  “International social work must no longer be regarded as peripheral to the apparently core task of social workers . . . [because] all social work practice, wherever it occurs, must now be regarded as working at the global/local level”. When she talks about the arrangement with the university is when she talked about culture shock and how it is surprising for the students who go. She also talks about how their work can help globally. Though we cannot break the barrier, it is easier to understand that it can make a difference to try. I personally think I would look into the program because it sounds like it can be a life-changing experience.

 This posting was the staring post to answer the question that went for Barbara Heron’s article. I was the first one to post and it was about international social practice. I had brought a quote up to explain how the article was set to answer the question about how people were to react. I wanted to write this because I understand how culture shock can make a person react from personal experiences. I still agree with what I wrote.  There were two responses to my post. The first was someone agreeing to what I wrote and emphasized the fact that young people only understand one culture, which is their own. She then went on to explain that youth can make a difference, and that she loves that idea. I personally agree with her because the youth is such a large population that we can and will make a difference in todays society, no matter where we are. The next response was about his experience in a foreign area. He understood the difference and was there to help others. Both of the responses seemed to understand what I was putting because they both answered in either agreement or an additional comment to help cement my post. These responses made me realize that I still had much to learn from the article.

[amandamackenzie15]

Meta-Reflection 5

Published January 9th 2013

 “Poor bashing” is for charities that look down on people that use them and do not treat them as well.  It basically is ‘sticking up your nose’ to the people who come to use that charity because you help work or volunteer there. It’s almost believing that the people who participate are lazier and have less ambition then them.  People can be concerned because this does happen at some charities and that everyone is equally important. People do not choose to go to these places, they go there because they have to. 

 This posting was about Jean Swanson’s article all about poor bashing and how to stop it. In this post I am trying to explain what “poor bashing” is, but in a different way then all of the previous posts. I wrote about this because in this class I have gone to a couple events that involved helping or learning about people who do not have enough for themselves and much go to food shelters or homeless shelters to help themselves. I had gotten very emotional in the OOCLO’s to this is something that I feel passionate about and want to aid the people who receive this treatment. Hearing stories about how people used to be well of and things just ended for the worse and needed help aiding themselves has shown that people really do try to help themselves out as much as they can but do not have the resources.  Some people do not realize the circumstances and just come to conclusions. I know I sued to be one of those people, but now that I am educated about these situations I am more accepting and more willing to help these people out. No one had replied to my post, however the whole forum was on the same page and understood how bad “poor bashing” was and how we need to end it. This is something that I truly believe others should get into and learn about.

[amandamackenzie15]

Meta-Reflection 6

Published January 23rd 2013

 I too agree with what everyone said. But everything has pros and cons. Being able to communicate with people all around the world is one because it is efficient and easy. However the amount of personal information if overwhelming and people do not think before they post things online. I think we should learn from this because people are getting into trouble and some people are not getting jobs because of what they have posted in the past.

 This posting was done to answer a question about social media and authoritarianism, for an article written by Evgeny Morozov. This post was agreeing with former posts about how social media is useful for many reasons. But however it may not work as easily as they believe and could possible rebound. I use a different example to help prove my point about how social media does have its downfalls. This post was important to me because when I first saw it I knew how I wanted to respond, but I thought that no one else would agree and believe that the Internet was only full of positives and not negatives. I was glad to hear that mainly everyone on the forum had the same idea and agreed with one another. I still agree with the post because I continually see the dangers of social media and how when someone reads something online they can interpret it different then how it was meant to be portrayed. This post was to reply to others and agree that once something is on the Internet it is in stone and cannot be erased. People do take advantage of the Internet and misuse it for what its for. No one directly responded to my post, but the forum continued with people agreeing with everyone’s , including myself, responses. 

[amandamackenzie15]

Icon

My icon is a box filled with donated canned goods. I chose this icon because it was taken when I went canvasing for the Trick or Eat nonperishable food drive. This picture shows the box being filled after leaving only one house. They had completely filled the box so that it was over flowing, and we had to be careful when caring this so nothing fell out. When the people would go to get their nonperishable food item(s) it showed that they were selfless and helping others instead of just staying to themselves. A quote by Booker T. Washington was “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for other.” This was shown when the people would say thank you to us, and would show a genuine smile knowing that they are helping lives of others who go without. They were contributing to their community to make it stronger and are also being caring neighbors when they donated. Being able to help others shows this selflessness and there is a satisfactory feeling knowing that the little bit you contribute goes a long way and can make a big different to many. The icon is only a small amount of what was collected that day but still has the ability to show the selflessness from the people who donated it.

[amandamackenzie15]

Critical Moment

There have been many critical and important events during this course, but there is one that sticks out the most and brought satisfaction and inspiration. I had done the Trick or Eat Community Food Drive for Community Care Niagara and found this to be successful because when I had signed up for this event I didn’t expect to get anything out of it. This seemed to be true when my group had first started to go door to door to retrieve nonperishable food items. When we had gone to approximately five doors with no one answering and then another five stating that they had either already donated to another organization or were not able to give at this time. We however continued on and found houses with people who were able to donate to us. About four or five cans in when we approached a house with a couple that were not expecting to see us. The couple stated that they had already donated to another organization, but told us that they would go look in their house to see if they could find any more nonperishable items to give to us. The group had waited about three to four minutes for the couple to return. When they came back, they had so many items that they had filled the box and had about 2 bags on the side. This really showed that people were there to help others and note that they have enough to give and make others lives better. They were being selfless by giving these items to people who are in need and go without. Not only did we have a couple fill the box, but as we continued on many people were not expecting us searched through their house so that they could help contribute to the food drive.  I find this experience to be satisfying because it did restore my faith in society. Today we live in a society that is all about ourselves and to see so many people be selfless and help others was inspiring because the people who are fortunate enough to have proper necessities in life are making sure that the community around them also has those same necessities.